1. Field of the Invention.
Heald frames of weaving machines mainly consist of an upper and a lower frame stave which, at their ends, are connected by lateral supports. In most cases the heald frames are suspended by connections to the frame staves in order to be driven in the weaving machine for the formation of the weaving shed. The connecting elements between the heald frame drive and the frame staves are usually movable in the latter in the longitudinal direction of the heald frame. For this purpose the frame stave is provided on the outer longitudinal edge with a profiled rail, generally in the form of an outer-T or an inner-T. On these T-rails the connecting elements to the frame drive are movably placed. This mobility is essential because the driving attachment of the weaving machine onto the heald frame cannot always be determined in advance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The T-rails used up to now on the frame staves show substantial disadvantages. The outer T-rails have a relatively thin fillet which often breaks at the place where it changes its shape to the body of the frame stave. On the other hand, the inner T-rail has proved to be more robust. The disadvantage, however, is that the inner T-rail at the upper frame stave gets filled up with dust and dirt. If enough fluff is accumulated in this T-rail, bundles of such dirt will fall in the warp and will consequently be woven into the fabric, leading to poor quality fabrics. This disadvantage can only be overcome by extensive cleaning of the upper edge of the heald frame. All experiments to work with covers and similar devices failed and for many years a considerable need for an improvement existed.